In 2013, Hariom Nautiyal quit his corporate job and returned to his native village, Barkot, in Dehradun, to pursue dairy farming.

When he broke the news of quitting his city job, he faced significant criticism from villagers, who labelled him as “useless and crazy.”

Undeterred by the negativity, he constructed a permanent shelter and cowshed adjacent to his home, finding solace in his new venture.

By 2016, Hariom had established a milk collection centre in his village and tapped into government subsidies to support dairy projects and empower rural women.

Initially, most of his cows were lactating, resulting in a surplus of 50-60 litres of milk daily. As the local market was saturated with regular milk sellers, he had no choice but to distribute the excess milk for free.

To build trust among customers, he distributed free lactometers and promised them if the reading was less than 26 (signifying normal milk density), he would give the milk for free that day.

This bold move proved successful and his company, Dhanya Dhenu, now sells 250 litres of milk daily in Dehradun and Rishikesh.

Hariom further expanded his business by utilising surplus milk to produce a range of dairy products, including mawa, ice cream, rabri, faluda, and pallar (desi fermented drink made with buttermilk).

His company now generates an annual profit of Rs 2 crore through local sales, trade fairs, and distribution channels.

Despite his financial success, Hariom remains grounded and emphasises the importance of hard work and perseverance beyond mere monetary gains.

“There was a time when I was hardly earning Rs 9 per day as profit. Today, I make Rs 5,000 in profits daily from milk alone. If I had not believed in myself and maintained my patience, I would not have come this far,” he says.